Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	ghost_n	son_n	36,902	5	6.3305	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87177	The everlasting joys of heaven: or, The blessed life of a Christian, in grace here; and in glory here-after. Set forth for the comfort and encouragement of all those that desire to fear the Lord; / by John Hart, a servant of Jesus Christ. Recommended to the reader, by Obadiah Sedgewick, and Iohn Downam, ministers of the Gospel.	Hart, John, D.D.; Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.; Downame, John, d. 1652.	1656 (1656)	Wing H948; Thomason E1680_2; ESTC R209155	49,553	177

good subjects submitting themselves thereunto that they should have a pardon of all their sins and inherit eternall life having freedome to come and drink freely of the water of life Of all which and a great deal more the spirit convinceth us of Because Christ our surety is at liberty having paied all our debts and returned in our nature and flesh into heaven now set down at the right hand of the father pleading our cause and making good there his purchased redemption by his continuall intercession for us in heaven putting sweet incense and odors into our prayers that they may be accepted But this is not all for yet a main thing remains though we be convinced of the forementioned two things yet here are The sons of Anak to be encountred with Principalities and powers to wrestle against strong oppositions within and without us of the world the flesh and the Divel concerning our continuance and holding out unto the end in all these tumults we are to passe through and war against so many dangerous enemies Here then in the next place comes that third conviction of the Spirit to convince our best judgements that our fears are in vain and that we shall notwithstanding all the rubs in our way overcome all and triumph over all as Christ our head hath done for us so shal we conquer all in him as it is Rom. 8. nay that in all these things we are more than conquerours in him who hath loved Us For the Prince of this world is judged meaning that as a condemned man hath no power no sentence no voice no freedome but is limited bound and manacled so is it with the Divell who is judged chained and fettered up from hurting us and therefore that Christ as he is the Author so he will be the finisher of our faith Heb 12.2 And that Christ will no fail nor be discouraged untill he bring forth judgement unto victory that is plant in us such a victorious sanctification in the soul which shall overcome all adverse powers in its way betwixt us and heaven This is that third Conviction of the spirit where with the two former going on in a holy frame of sanctification in newnesse of life then our souls are soundly seasoned then are we rightly qualified to know that which is the second thing propounded That we may come to know and he assured of a future glorious estate to come which knowledge our Saviour calleth life eternall Iohn 17.2 To know God thus revealed in the high perfections of Jesus Christ in a Practical way which we may certainly attain unto as it is clear by the whole currant of the Scriptures and those many gratious promises and many trials of the same interest we have in set down to examine our selves by al which were in vain if no such certainty of our future estate to come were attainable But to name a few trials onely passing by the Promises which are so aboundant We know By these signs as of having the spirit of Christ or else to be none of his Rom. 8.9 In our not walking after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8.1 Of our being new creatures 2 Cor. 5.17 Of endeavouring to purifie our selves even as he is pure 1 Iohn 3.3 Of having heavenly mounted affections where Christ is at the right hand of the father Colloss. 3.1 Of being translated from death to life becaused we love the brethren 1 Iohn 4 13. Of loving one another v. 17. By conformity with him in his sufferings Rom. 6.5 Of putting on the Lord Jesus and making no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof Rom. 13.14 Of being partakers of the Divine nature in being full of gratious goodnesse having eschewed that corruption which is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1.3 whereby and many other the like Trials whereunto gratious exceeding rick and precious promises are belonging True like God himself we may come to know and have assurance of a future glorious estate to come in the heavens having these and other the like qualifications all of them branches of The new Creature as witnesses of the truth of our sanctification in our renewed estate following upon our justification which if in truth is inseparably accompanied with sanctification spreading it self universally through all all the parts and powers and faculties of soul and body though in every part not totally renewed And then in the next place We may know that we know TWO ways 1 By Gods spirit witnessing with our spirit that we are the children of God Rom. 8 16. 2 By the immediate testimony of the spirit sometimes by it self alone not joining with our spirits or the word Which are both mentioned 1 Iohn 5.7 8. For there are three which bear record in heaven The Father The Son and The Holy Ghost and these three are one and there are three which bear record on earth The Spirit The Water and the Bloud and these three agree in one in discovery whereof it may a little help us in this great businesse To distinguish these witnesses how and when they witnesse The witnesse of Gods spirit from the witnesse of our spirit upon earth and betwixt the immediate witnesse of The Spirit as it were immediately from heaven from the witnesse of the same spirit with our spirits which may help to clear this in shew intricate discovery under correction I take 1. The Witness of our Spirit To be nothing else but The Reflecting Testimony or Answer of a good Conscience in our sincere upright walking according unto the Rules prescribed in the word of God whereof it seems St. Paul speaks Act. 24.15 of his keeping a good Conscience before God and Men because he looked for a Resurrection both of the just and she unjust And Ioh 3. This whole chapter is nothing else but the Witness of his Spirit in his Uprightness and sincerity of his Obedience throughout the Commandements So David Psal. 18.20 he makes use of the Witnesse of his Spirit testifying his Obedience and Uprightnesse And so 1 Sam. 12.3 he makes use of the Witnesse of his Spirit this way unto the people clearing himself from oppression and briberie Whose Oxe or whose Asse have I take Or to whom have I done wrong And the whole Church it selfe is brought in clearing her selfe though she were beaten down into the Den of Dragons as it were and covered with the shadow of death Psal. 44.17 That for all this she had not dealt falsly in the Covenant nor stretched out her hands to looke after a strange God whereby it seems that there is a twofold Witnesse of our Spirit The witness of our Spirit in a Calm The witness thereof in a Tempest The former whereof is without difficulty and ordinary the usuall answer and reflecting testimony of a good conscience directed upon all occasions by the rules of the word when we are not hardly and sore put to it by grievous trials of dissertions damps intermissions of

is to look upon 6. The Company we shall enjoy there Ill Company-torments our Spirits much Solomon says that it is better to dwell on the house top than with a contentious woman in a large house And David a holy man was weary of dwelling in Meshec and having his habitation in the Tents of Kedar And in Sodome their unjust conversation did vex Lots righteous soul And Ier. 9.2 He wishes for a Cottage of wayfaring men in the wilderness that he might leave his people being all Adulterers and Rebels rather than to live in such ill company But here in heaven The excellency of the Company far exceeds the building The presence of God himselfe in our Fathers house of Christ and the holy Ghost in Trinity not enjoying them as here onely in our assistance of the spirit but then an hundred times more clearly than now they shall dwell with us and we shall have full and clear immediate Communion with them and so with all the holy Angels who here are said to be ministring Spirits unti us Heb. 1. a very great favour but then we shall see much more clearly into their nature and excellency and know much better what they are and have done for us And so to have society with the Saints the Family of Heaven all of one Nature Will Affection Mind Desire Aim and Endeavour without any crossnes burthen or distemper to one another as here Though as it is said Ezek. 2.6 we dwell here amongst rebels thorns and scorpions yet there shall be no such annoyance where of all things that offend shall none trouble There shall be no Goats in that Fold no no Scorpions to bite no Thorns and Briars in our sides to prick no mockers slanderers or backbiters no tares or darnel or chaffe among that wheat no offensive or unclean thing can or shall enter there all shall be pure and holy Another Consideration is 7. Our employment there This also sets forth the excellencie of this building we shall not be idle there For even in the estate of Innocency Adam was set and appointed to dress and trim Paradise The soul it self is not capable of rest but must have some employment And though it be said Rev. 14. That the dead are fully blessed because they rest from their labours which is onely meant of their irksome toyling upon earth and is not said to bar us from an imployment in heaven suitable unto that estate we shall enjoy there For of those described Revel. 7.13 15. who had made their long Robes white in the blood of the Lamb having gone through many tribulations it is said That Therefore they are in the presence of the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne will dwell among them So that as here it is our duty to serve God continually so there it shall be our honour reward and delight when all other relations services shal have an end to be perpetual spectators actors of so much ravishing excellency all which service shall be done and continued with much freedome and joy and without any pain or wearinesse unto us because as in the Lord Jehovah there is everlasting strength so we shall from him receive everlasting strength and perpetual refreshing from him so as we shal never be weary of our imployment but it shall be our delight joy to serve and praise God for ever For though he hath no need of our service yet we shall thus be perpetually honored delighted by it It shal be our ravishing delightful imployment to serve God in Christ continually The last main consideration of this Building which is a great one 8. The possession and enjoying For this makes up the pitch of all our Blessednesse not the possession onely but the comfortable enjoying of what we do possesse in a joyfull manner For in the middest of riches and abundant outward things yet a man possessed of them may live in want having no comfortable possession of them or quiet enjoying of them as it is one thing to live another thing to live joyfully and as a man may be old and yet not said to have lived long when he hath not injoyed his life comfortably So it is here in all which hath been said of this Building if we injoyed not what we possessed and that fully there were no blessednesse in it This is the Crown of all to injoy what we possesse But there in a speciall manner we shall enjoy the presence of God in Christ with the holy Ghost being present to our sight and understanding fully and clearly unto all eternity On earth the Saints have no Communion or fellowship with the Trinity God in Christ and his blessed spirit but what is joined with distractions and interruptions of their comforts and feelings having times of dissertions and withdrawing of their comforts But it shall not be so in heaven where we shall have a full ravishing intelectual understanding of the blessed Trinity as it is wicked mens misery to he without God in the world who know and can speak many good things but have no true taste and inioyment of the same wanting the heavenly influence and comforts thereof and as in this life it is a Godly mans affliction to want Gods presence being scanted in his favours so there on the contrary it shall be our everlasting blessednesse that we shall fully see and enjoy with all the whole powers and might of the soul with an actual intellectual full sight the fulnesse of God in fruition of the Beatifical vision for ever as it is 1 John 3.2 Dearly beloved now are we the sons of God but yet it is not made manifest what we shall be and we know that when be shall be made manifest we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is It is true indeed that God the father is invisible that no man hath seen God at any time and that he cannot be seen no not with our eyes glorified but we shall have a full clear distinct sight and understanding of the fulnesse of God in the Beatificall vision in Christ Jesus who is said to be the ●uage of the invisible God in whom dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily and in whom the fathers pleasure was that all fulnesse should dwell Colos. 1.15.19 and 2.9 A clear understanding of God in Christ with the fulnesse of an intelectual knowledge that we shall as it were be pitched and rolled upon the continual intuition of the satisfactory fulnesse of that our knowledge and enjoying of that beatifical vision for ever Which it seemeth is that which the Apostle aimeth at 1. Cor. 15.28 And when al things shal be subdued then shal the Sun himself also be subject unto him who did subdue al things under him that God may be all in all So resigning his Mediatorship to live as an heir with us in one body in the beholding

the spirit and the like with sore long and heavy crosses then our spirits witnesse goes on in a Calm before it come to sore trials But when God seems to frown and lowr upon us the comforts and our refreshing wonted feelings to decay when God seems to beat us with the stroaks of an enemy to fight against us when he seems covered with a cloud that our prayers should not passe through and the spirit with his reports and comforts with draweth himself for a while as Ieremy speaketh like a wafering man that cannot help in a strange land Then our spirits are hardly put to it to hold our and make use of the strength of our spirits witness in those extremities as that instance of the Church named Psal. 44. which was then in a great storm and yet held out with as great strength and it seems David was in a great storm Psal. 77. when yet he communed with his own heart and his spirit made diligent search being hardly put to it to dispute the case of Gods goodnesse unto him ere he come to see his infirmity And Ioh. 19. there it is shewed what a wonderfull strait His Spirit was put to ere he brake forth with that wonderfull admirable expression of his Redeemer ver 23. which instances may serve to shew the exigents our spirits are many times put to in storms ere Gods spirit come to witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God Now when the soul is rightly qualified having these internall indowments of obedience and sincerity reflexes of a holy conversation when it believes in these storms and streights and upon believing the heart encounters and closes with the promises joying in them hoping for mercy for all these storms and in middest of these exigents believing one contrary in another then comes usually I say not that it never witnesseth with our spirits but then which were too high a point for me to meddle in 2. The witnesse of Gods spirit witnessing with our spirits To discover his comforts afresh that things and promises beleeved are truly so indeed that we are the children of God that flesh and blood hath not revealed these things unto us but God by the habitation of his spirit that those supernatural endowments and habits of grace we have attained as they are from Heaven so they shall at length bring us thither and that we shall grow in Grace from Grace to Grace and be transformed from Glory to Glory by the self-same spirit 2 Cor. 3.18 Beautifying dayly Gods image in us who hath wrought the same in us and that we cannot nor shall ever perish but hold out unto the end and at length be raised up with all Saints to eternal glory for ever Wherein the spirit elevates and raises the comfort and assurance of The witnesse of our spirit to a much higher degree of assurance and consolation making deeper and more lasting assurance and impressions of our comforts with additions of new joies and by his constant revealing unto us the use and misteries of Christs high perfection and actions when he was upon earth and now in heaven interceding for us at the right hand of the father he doth thereby he dwelling and abiding in us and we having assented unto and beleeved the promises Seal all unto us with the holy spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the redemption of the possession purchased unto the praise of his glory Eph. 1.13 which earnest of necessity must be made good by his constant and perpetuall assistance of us dwelling in us strengthening of us with revelations suitable and seasonable unto all our exigents In which case though the spirit dwell in us witnesse and have sealed us up unto this day of Redemption with an indefesible stamp Yet are not his cleer revelations and discoveries always alike in degrees and measure during then me for we have many interruptions dissertions eclipses of damps sometimes in his retirings for our good after which his testimony revives again with more lasting joys and comforts after his seeming absence and hiding of himself suffering sometimes our support to be By the witnesse of our spirit the water in our sanctification the second of the three concurring witnesses upon the earth and when this water is muddy as oh it is too often so as we cannot comfort our selves thereby having our evidence so blotted that we cannot read it cleerly or forgotten it the suffering us to have recourse unto the third witnesse The blood in justification which is the most lasting and constant with us and wonderfull sure a fountain ever open running alike clear pure water of life never muddie unlesse we by our ignorance and infidelity throw mud therein and trouble it But yet whether the spirit shine clearly in the soul witnessing or whether darkly as he doth many times yet having once sealed and set his stamp on us the print thereof remains sure for ever Of these things at his first possession habitation and entry in the soul he ever assures and makes impression of First That where he is in any measure he always reigns so as sin shall have no Dominion over us 2. That he will not nor may not by his Office being sent for to be our Comforter Testifier of Christ Jesus and Revealer of and Leader of us in all Divine Truths remove his dwelling finally from us though he withdraw his assisting Comforts and feelings of his Presence when we grieve and vex him as friends sometimes withdraw themselves and bar us their presence upon just discontents given when yet the constancy of their love is the same to shine forth as clear or clearer then ever in due time 3. That as when Christ sent him unto us be to our Comforter it was expedient for us Christ in his bodily presence should return to Heaven to shew al his work was done our Redemption finished Principalities and Powers Hell and Death conquered as our Head in our Nature to take possession thereof for us to make continual Intercession for us at the right hand of the Father and to perfume our weak Prayers offering them up with much sweet Odours in the golden Censer upon the golden Altar which is before the Throne Revel. 8.1 2. so that it is expedient for us for him sometimes to seem to make some progress from us and absent himself as it were 1. To chastise our neglects of him and grieving of him 2. Least constancic of his presence should make us like the Israelites loath this heavenly Manna 3. To enhance and raise the price and valuation of his former Presence and Comforts 4. To set an edge upon our desires for his return 5. To inflame our love him the more abundantly at his Return with resolution to hold him faster then ever 6. To grieve him no more as we have done but to study how to cherish him by all means 7. That his fresh renewed joys may far surmount all our

work of man compared with the exceeding excellency and glory of this heaven of heavens The strange Master-peece of God not made with hands the curious magnificent Pallace of all his most royal entertainments a strange building as was said of Melchizedec without father without mother without any known beginning or ending Such a place also wherein all our mercies are conveyed by God himself unto us without hands for ever And thus by assistance of Gods blessed spirit we are at length come to peep into The Perpetuity and eternity of this Building Eternal in the Heavens what eternal and eternal in the Heavens an hour in Heaven were more then eternity upon earth O saith David a day in thy Court is better then a thousand every where I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God then dwell in the Tabernacles of wickednesse Psal. 84.10 Now Eternity is that which shall endure for ever that is shall never have an end And then it shall never have any intermission nor period pause eclipse or any cloud to overshadow it as in this world in all our most excellent injoyments we have as Solomon saith Eccles. 7.18 Here we have still this set over against that that here we might find nothing after us But there in heaven it is not so all things shall be after us and after us without any overshadowing cloud or intermission whatsoever and an estate without any end which thus extendeth it self that though we may out live our estates yet there we cannot outlive our happinesse Eternity being 1. A pure continued act that cannot end 2. An universal act of all the powers of the soul at one time this no man upon earth can act with all the powers of the soul at once but still there must be a cessation of one or other power thereof when the other acts but there all shall act at once without intermission of any one faculty or power of the soul And lastly for the Degree it shall be ever the same and shall admit of no discent of the least degree thereof no ebb or dimunition at all here we injoy not our best comforts still in the same degree we have vicissitudes of ebbing and flowing sometimes sad and sometimes mad for laughter we dance and leap like the Creple healed Acts 3. and by and by we are quiet again And even our best joyes of the Spirit have their ebbings and flowings at our first conversion and after they are not the same in Degrees but have their eclipses and sunshines much adoe we have to tune our hearts and spirits for meditation and prayer and much more ado to keep them in compasse being tuned we rejoyce and are sad again we have feeling and anon again ere long we complain for want thereof But in Heaven our joys stand still in the same height and degree eternally for ever For look what height of tast sense joy delight or ravishment we have and feel at first after the extent of many millions of years that we have been in Heaven it shall ever be at the same height and degree of fulness without any descent or ebbe This Manna shall never be loathed but be eternally the same in all full sensible contentment of Degree for ever So as we shall tast Eternity every moment And that this is so of necessity That no other Estate can fit the Saints but an Eternal Estate It is clear by divers reasons First In regard of God And then Secondly Of the Saints themselves First In regard of God 1. Because of the end of the Creation That all things were made for his Glory and he must be eternally glorified by us in Heaven therefore he must confer upon us an eternal suitable estate enabling us to give him glory for all eternity One cannot here glorifie God but as he receives from him Glory to return unto him and therefore we glorifie him here because we first receive glory from him as the returns of waters to the sea are suitable unto those flouds which they receive from it therefore our estate in this heavenly Building must of necessity be an eternal Estate to fit and enable us to give him eternal Glory And secondly In regard that no other Estate suits with the promises made unto us but an eternal Estate agreeing unto the promises of eternity We do in this life and shall in that to come receive nothing but by vertue of some word of God past in promises made unto us as 1 Iohn 2.25 it is said And this is the promise which he hath promised us even Eternal life in whom we are who is true even Iesus Christ the true God and eternal life 1 Iohn 5.20 Now all the exceeding rich and precious promises being made for Eternity and God being Truth it self whatsoever he hath promised must of necessity come to passe and so our estate in this house be for Eternity Otherwise whatsoever should cōe short of Eternity should come so far short of the promises which is impossible The next is thirdly From the love of God which is Everlasting For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Isa. 54.8 If Gods love then be eternal that Estate which he bestows upon his people must be perpetual and eternal For God is goodnesse it self whatsoever he doth is good even in wrath remēbring mercy all he doth being for our good as it is Isa. 27.9 This being all the fruit even the taking away of our sin which is the fruit of all his doings and our sufferings to make us partakers of his holinesse yea as David confesseth all his works through out whole life time are nothing else but mercy and truth saith he through all my life thy favour is and this is a prime act of divine love where once it loves to love for ever John 13.1 so that the eternity fo his love is like unto himself And 4. Our estate there must needs be eternall in regard of the infinite invaluable price whereby it was purchased otherwise it should not answer the price and God should not render us according unto it and so be unjust For he was exact in his justice to have satisfaction for sin to the utmost And therefore to suit his Justice he must needs be just to give unto us an eternall estate according to the price paied accoring to our capacity So he as it is Heb. 9.14 Having offered up himself through the eternal spirit gives unto us an estate suitable his ever-lasting righteousnesse and so our estate in heaven by his purchase must be suitable unto it an eternall inheritance And so also in regard of the Saints of our condition our estate there must needs be eternal for divers respects 1. Considering that the constitution of the Saints is a glorious